Michelle Obama stresses importance of girls pursuing science

U.S. first lady Michele Obama hugs college student Michelle Del Rio of El Paso, Texas at a White House event on the importance of supporting and retaining women and girls in science, technology, engineering and math careers today in Washington, DC. At the East Room event, the National Science Foundation also made an announcement about retaining women in science, technology, engineering and math fields.

U.S. first lady Michele Obama hugs college student Michelle Del Rio of El Paso, Texas at a White House event on the importance of supporting and retaining women and girls in science, technology, engineering and math careers today in Washington, DC. At the East Room event, the National Science Foundation also made an announcement about retaining women in science, technology, engineering and math fields. (Photo by Win McNamee, Getty Images)

Katherine SkibaTribune reporter

WASHINGTON—First lady Michelle Obama on Monday touted the importance of girls pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math, though admitted she became a lawyer because she was “bad at these subjects.”

Obama addressed about 140 people in the East Room as the National Science Foundation, a major funder of basic research, announced a 10-year plan to give greater work-related flexibility to men and women pursuing research careers.

The first lady was introduced by Michelle Del Rio, a Texan who despite her family’s modest circumstances won a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences with a minor in chemistry, psychology and Spanish. The woman’s mother, who attended school until the third grade, is a maintenance worker.

Del Rio earned her degree while juggling two jobs and caring for two younger siblings while both her parents worked. A graduate student at Texas Tech University, she plans to study medicine.

“Today is also about helping every young girl in this country believe she can be the next Michelle Del Rio,” the first lady said.

Obama added: “If we’re going to out-innovate and out-educate the rest of the world, we’ve got to open doors for everyone….and that means clearing hurdles for women and girls as they navigate careers in science, technology, engineering and math.”

Women earn 41 percent of doctoral degrees in the so-called STEM fields but comprise 28 percent tenure-track faculty in those areas, said Subra Suresh, director of the National Science Foundation.

The foundation’s new “Career-Life Balance Initiative” includes a provision to allow researchers to delay or suspend grants for up to a year because of the birth of a child, adoption or other family obligations.

Women, Suresh said, should “not have to choose between their baby and the lab bench.”